169 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
PARK AND FORESTRY WORK IN BUFFALO 
The fortieth annual report of the park 
commissioners of Buffalo is a handsome- 
ly illustrated, well-printed and complete 
account of the park work in that city 
for the fiscal year 1909, including the 
first six months’ administration of the 
new superintendent, David A. Seymour. 
The important work includes the build- 
ing of a lake in Cazenovia Park, and 
a carefully planned campaign for the 
trees by City Forester Harry B. Filer, 
who tells of this work in his second 
annual report. The establishment of this, 
department was due chiefly to the earn- 
est efforts made for several years by 
Dr. M. D. Mann and his associates in 
the Society for Beautifying Buffalo. It 
has demonstrated beyond question its 
worth to the city, and has won the 
commendation of scores of citizens. 
Superiiltendent Seymour reports that 
the most discouraging feature at the be- 
ginning of the year was the very bad 
condition of the seventeen miles of 
macadam' roads in the entire park sys- 
tem. An open winter, necessitating much 
wheel traffic, followed by a prolonged 
cold, wet spring interspersed with nu- 
merous severe frosts did a great 
amount of damage to these roads and 
left them in an unusually bad condition. 
South Park Boulevard, by way of illus- 
tration, was in such shape as rendered 
it almost impassable. Work of repairing 
the roads was begun as soon as the 
weather permitted, and about the middle 
of May all this work, including the oil- 
ing and rolling of the roads, was com- 
pleted. 
Cazenovia Park is one of the city’s 
more recent acquisitions and comprises 
106 acres. For some years past the Park 
Commissioners have carried out details 
originally laid down for the ultimate 
development of this section of the city’s 
pleasure grounds and this year under- 
took one of the greatest improvements 
contemplated for this park section. In 
one sense it was not a matter of choice, 
but rather a case of necessity. For some 
years past the channel of Cazenovia 
Creek, lying to the west of the islands 
embraced in the park, has been filling 
up gradually by flood deposits until it 
became practically closed except for a 
narrow strip which remained open in 
times of low water ; in other words, the 
natural lake formed by this channel had 
disappeared. 
'It was readily apparent, therefore, that 
this channel required a thorough clean- 
ing out if the original aquatic facilities 
so much wanted by all frequenters of 
this Park were to be restored. The 
board therefore called for bids for re- 
moving the earth deposits in the channel 
and using them for the construction of 
dikes to form retaining walls for an 
artificial lake and also for the elevating 
of the surface of the two islands. Bids 
were received on June 8th and a con- 
tract was awarded requiring the comple.-. 
MAKING THE BED OF THE LAKE, CAZENOVIA PARK, BUFFALO. 
